: is there any quality issue
: with cutting a bulkhead from [cheap ply]

I've made bulkheads from cheap interior ply glassed both sides - mainly
because I've been building non-flat, non-vertical bulkheads that are not
necessarily a good fit at the first attempt (having already gone through
half a dozen trial cardboard templates held in place with blu-tack !)
I've discarded ply with obvious voids - a sheet of the cheap stuff is
just cheaper than the travelling cost to get a sheet of marine ply, so
I don't mind a bit of wastage to get decent pieces, but for non-flat
bulkheads, I'm using fairly small pieces anyway (the footrest is in
two pieces, the aft bulkhead in three).

: I want to move the bow bulkhead aft several
: inches to cut down on flooded volume and possibly use it as a foot rest.

It's using it as a footrest that prompted me to go for non-flat non-vertical
front bulkhead. I find I want the surface I put my feet on to slope away
(ie. bottom further aft than the top), and also dihedral outwards (centre
of bulkhead further aft than at the sheer). I got the bulkhead to be such a
good fit on the hybrid Cormorant that I have to slacken my backstrap to
wear thicker trousers :-) Needless to say, with a fit this critical, I can
put quite a bit of force on the bulkhead when manoevering violently on my
rock-hopping days (and clout the hull from time to time under the bulkhead
without apparent ill-effect). Water penetration is hardly an issue - the
ply was epoxy sealed before glassing, and is taped to the hull with heavy
weight glass tape both sides of the bulkhead.

The boat is still only 16 kg (35 lb) after fitting out - vastly lighter than
my wife's NDK Romany LV "Elite" supposedly super-light lay up, and her boat
is worryingly flexible at almost 20 kg ...

Andy